This invention relates generally to imaging systems and more particularly to systems and methods for generating images by using monochromatic x-rays.
In radiotherapy, as practiced in x-ray oncology, an amount of radiation, or dose is delivered to a defined, predetermined region of a patient's body. Because high levels of high energy radiation are used during radiation therapy treatment, it is important that a therapist be able to locate a site to be treated. Before a high-energy treatment machine is used to actually deliver the radiation for treatment, a low-energy imaging machine is used preliminarily to determine exactly where the dose should be delivered. For example, radiation therapists often attempt to use scans from diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scanners in planning a radiation therapy treatment. However, the CT scanners are separate from the high-energy treatment machine used for radiation therapy treatment, and therefore consume additional space and result in an additional cost.